The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-10
WAS JOHN WESLEY A UNIVER-
SALIST

This question has been often asked
by those who are acquainted with the
passages in Wesley's sermons, which
were quoted in the discourse of Rev.
Mr.. Shook, published in the last paper,
on 'John Wesley's Hope for the World"
These passages affirm, in words glow
ing with the spirit of an immortal hope,
that God will not allow mankind to be
everlastingly the servants of sin that
lit will not always be thus;' that "all
these transient evils will issue we'll
will have happy conclusion, and that
mercy first and last will reign ;" "that
God will not intermit the blessed work
Of his Spirit until he has fulfilled all his
promises +; until he hath put period
to sin, misery, infrmity and death,
and re-established universal holiness
and happiness Again, Wesley says
"God will be jealous of his honor; he
will arise and maintain his cause; he
will give his Son the heather for his in
heritance and the uttermost parts of
the earth for his possession" "The
loving knowledge of God producing
uniform, uninterrupted holiness and
happiness shall cover the earth; shall
fill every soul of man." And finally
the great Methodist leader argues out
his faith with the doubling in the fol-
lowing conclusive manner : "Impossi-
BILE, will some men say, yea, the great
est impossibilities that we should see a
Christian world. Now, in the same
manner as God has converted so many
to himself without destroying their
liberty, he can, undoubtedly, convert
whole nations, or the whole world. And
it is as easy for him to convert world
as one individual SOUL"
In another passage-not quoted by
Mr.. Snook-Wesley writes as follows
ALLOWING the whole creation now
groaning together under the sin of man,
our comfort is that it will not always
groan. The whole creation shall then
be delivered both from moral and nat
ural corruption. And the whole race
of mankind shall know and love, and
serve God, and reign with him forever"
These passages would seem to be ex-
plicit on the question of Wesley's Uni
versalism. They cannot be interpreted
consistently with any theory of the
endless suffering of mankind in future
state. They are decisive ON the point
that John Wesley's hope for the world
was broad enough to include all man.
kind in the work of redemption.
AS long ago as 1926, writer in the
"Christian Intelligencer, quoted sew
eral of these passages from Wesley's SER
mons, and added "Are our Methodist
friends willing to espouse the sentiments
from Wesley's creed If so, they would
do we'll to say no more against Universal
ism till they have shown wherein the
doctrine here advanced, differed from
the doctrine of universal holiness and
bliss" Again the writer says: "More
full and complete universal salvation
1 never heard preached or saw written
by any Universalist than this of Wes-
ley" In the sixty years which have
passed away since these words were
written in a Universalist periodical,
and with the issue again and again pre-
scented for their attention, the Metho-
dists have evaded the consideration of
these points in Wesley's opinions, and
continued their unholy warfare against
the faith so definitely outlined in the
words of their great founder and leader.
Judging by these extracts from his ser
mons, John Wesley must be declared a
Universalist. There is no legitimate
way of avoiding this conclusion.
But it is also we'll understood that
many of Wesley's sermons teach con-
trary sentiment, and that he frequently
INDUCED in terrific descriptions of the
fate of the ungodly. What is the ex-
PLANTATION of the paradox ? In Edwin
NJ. Stones life of Elhanan Winchester,
published in Boston, in 1915, there is
an interesting chapter on Wesley's opin-
ions, in which the presumptive evil
dence of his belief in the final Restora-
ton is definitely set forth, and this
paradox explained in reasonable man
ner. Mr.. Stone mentions also work
which was published about the begin
ming of the present century, in which
it is stated that Wesley was then con-
sidered a Restorationist. SIT is also
said," remarks Mr.. Stone, "that near
the close his life, he expressed to Mr..
Winchester his belief in the Restora-
ton, and remarked that he had written
a sermon on the subject which he had
placed in the care Of a printer to be